Trump’s appearance at the breach of contract trial in U.S. District Court was limited to a roughly 25-minute video deposition. It was taken at his New York City offices in April 2015, long before anyone imagined the real-estate-mogul-turned-TV-celebrity would secure the Republican presidential nomination.

As expected, Trump denied allegations by members of Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter that he improperly changed the rules of their membership contracts when he in December 2012 bought the financially troubled club from Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa for $5 million. He was equally dismissive of suggestions that he got the club at a bargain price by agreeing to assume an estimated $41 million in liabilities that hung over it because Ritz-Carlton promised to refund initiation fees, ranging from $35,000 to $210,000, to members who quit.

“It could have been the club would have closed and gone into bankruptcy and everyone would have lost money,” Trump testified. His purchase, he said, saved the club — and its members — from what he called “the ‘B’ word.”

But, three members who filed the class-action suit on behalf of roughly 60 others when he refused to refund their membership fees, said Trump used their money to put the club on firm financial footing.

Membership manager Deborah Shulman testified that initially members who were on the resignation list were told they could no longer use the club but wouldn’t have to pay dues. Under Ritz-Carlton’s ownership, members on the list could continue to pay dues to use the facilities until their memberships were sold to new members which was when they got their deposits back.

Later, the rules changed, she said. Not only were members barred from the club, but they were required to continue to pay dues of about $6,000 a year and to pay a roughly $1,800 minimum for food and beverages at a club they couldn’t use.

According to evidence presented by Trump lawyer Herman Joseph Russomanno III, some members now owe more than will get back when their initiation fees are refunded. Because of the system used to assign old memberships to new members, the process takes years.

Palm Beach Gardens attorney Richard Slawson, who paid a $45,000 refundable deposit when he joined the club in 2005, testified that after three years on the resignation list there were still roughly 50 people in front of him. Russomanno said as of July, Slawson owed $45,000 in unpaid dues and other charges.

“He refused me access to the club but he wanted me to pay for the usage of the club,” Slawson testified. Once members were denied access, Trump breached their membership contracts and was obligated to refund their deposits within 30 days, said attorney Bradley Edwards, who is representing the members.

Eric Trump, who operates the club for his father, is expected to take the witness stand Tuesday. But, on Monday, a brief portion of his video deposition was played to U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, who will decide the case.

In it, he vehemently denied that members who announced their intention to resign were blocked from the club. He said the club never implemented the new policy his father outlined in the letter. “In reality, we maintained the status quo and did not deny access,” he said.

Shulman and club general manager Tony Servideo testified that once Trump took over members on the resignation list were barred entry but were required to continue to pay dues — a change from Ritz-Carlton’s policy. Servideo testified that Trump attorneys told him there was nothing in documents members signed that absolved them of their responsibility to pay dues while waiting for new members to join.

For his part, Donald Trump testified that membership terms were negotiable. Those willing to forgo their deposits, were offered lower annual dues and the ability to use his other clubs, including Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach. “They could call and make their own deal,” the author of “The Art of the Deal” insisted.

But, Slawson said, he repeatedly tried to persuade club officials that it was “ridiculous” for him to pay dues to a club he couldn’t use. “They said their hands were tied,” he testified.

The case was to have been decided by a jury until both sides agreed they would rather have Marra review the various membership documents that are key to the case. The trial is expected to wrap up Tuesday.

About the Author

Popular in News

Reader Comments
...

Next Up in Local

11 p.m. UPDATE: The CNN Town Hall closes with a poem written by the late Alex Schacter, read by his father, comparing life to roller coaster ride. That is followed by a song called "Shine," written by students to honor the victims. 10:30 p.m. UPDATE: Stoneman Douglas student Emma Gonzalez asks Dana Loesch of the NRA if it should...

Tennis champion Serena Williams revealed she “almost died after giving birth” to her first child, daughter Olympia, last fall, according to a column by Williams on CNN.com. >> Read more trending news Williams had a relatively easy birth Sept. 1, 2017, delivering her daughter by C-section, but two hours later, she was in...

NASA will launch a tiny satellite designed by Palm Beach Gardens middle school students to study whether bacteria can survive in melting ice while in orbit. RELATED: Here’s why NASA is sending a Gardens school’s satellite into space WeissSat-1 satellite likely will launch from Cape Canaveral or an Air Force base in California by the end...

SUNRISE — Horace Hamm came to the CNN Town Hall meeting Wednesday night hoping to hear reasons no parent will ever have to go through what he endured when the shooting started at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland. Hamm had started to doze off on his cross-country flight a week ago when he looked at his phone to find 12 consecutive texts...

Fans of the “Wendy Williams Show” will have to watch re-runs for nearly a month, because the media maven is taking a three-week hiatus to treat her Graves’ disease. >> Read more trending news She made the announcement on air Wednesday, revealing that her doctor is requiring her to take a break from work to &ldquo...